Ancient Egypt Geography Features and Climate Egypt Today

Ancient Egypt Geography, Features, and Climate

Egypt Today

Ancient Egypt

The Ancient Perspective

Climate A Land of ONLY 2 Seasons: Winter (Mild, from November-April) Summer (Incredibly Hot, from May-October) Temperatures range from 110 F to 32 F.

Climate Cont. . Receives <80 millimeters of precipitation annually. (Proctor, MN receives over 650 millimeters annually. ) However, farming was, is still, Egypt’s major source of trade thanks to the Nile River. .

The Nile

Facts about the Nile The longest river in the world. North-flowing river. Ends at the Nile Delta, which pours into the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt is known as “The Gift of the Nile” due to its dependence on the river since its inception. Almost ALL cultural and historical Egyptian sites are found along the Nile.

In Map Terms. .

Origins of Egypt Mythological Origin:

Origins of Egypt Archaeological Origins:

The Pharaohs The Kings of Egypt.

Who were the Pharaohs? Kings (Nwst) of Egypt. Head of Government and High Priest of EVERY temple Responsible for bringing Ma’at to Egypt. The subjects of Horus…or Horus himself. When a pharaoh died he was believed to be Osiris, then a new Horus ruled on earth.

Khufu and Khafre Little known about actual reign. Built the Great Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx. "Kheops (Khufu) brought the country into all kinds of misery. He closed the temples, forbade his subjects to offer sacrifices, and compelled them without exception to labor upon his works…the Egyptians can hardly bring themselves to mention…Kheops…so great is their hatred. " –Herodotus Prostitution to raise money.

Akhenaten Abandoned traditional Egyptian Religion. Moved to Monotheism and Aten (the sun disk--Ra). Ordered defacement and destruction of many Egyptian Temples dedicated to Atum, Osiris, and the others. Egyptians practice in secret.

Akhenaten Moved capital from Thebes to newly constructed Akhetaten. After death his buildings and ideas were abandoned.

Tutankhamen

Tut Birth name= Tutankha. TEN (Living Image of Aten) Tutankha. MUN (Living Image of Amun/Atum-Re) Pharaoh at 9. Died at 18. Succeed by Ay. Discovery in 1922—UNTOUCHED! King Tut’s Curse

Hatshepsut Female Pharaoh Wore of fake beard, traditional pharaoh attire. One of the most successful Pharaohs. Established and forged trade networks, 100 s of building projects, military campaigns in Syria, brought Ma’at to Egypt.

Ramses II Powerful, Ambitious, Warrior Pharaoh Conquest, Buildings, and Children

Ramses II Continued. . Raided Pyramids of Giza for building materials. Took the throne at 20 and ruled for 67 years (2 nd longest Pharaoh, beaten by Pepi II who took the throne at the age of 6 and ruled for 94 years). Some believe he is the Pharaoh mentioned in the Moses story.

Some of these Pharaohs were good…some were NOT so good. But, if you’re a Pharaoh (Horus on Earth) then who is to stand up against you? YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY. SO: How did religion affect Egyptian social structure? What would life be like for an Egyptian under Khufu? Akhenaten? Hatshepsut? If life wasn’t good, did the Egyptian people have any power to do ANYTHING about it?